Cradley Heath High Street to be hit by two-month closure for gas works
Part of Cradley Heath High Street will be closed for almost two months to allow for £100,000 gas works to be carried out.
It has sparked anger among traders who say they weren't told about the scheme.
Shop owners have reacted angrily to the news that a stretch of the busy road, between St Anne's Road and West Bromwich Building Society, will be shut to drivers from August 19.
They say the closure will have a major impact on trade and claim they were not told about the work until now.
Roy Chumber, owner of Cradley Heath DIY, said: "Nobody had told me and I have been here 30 years.
"I am angry because they should notify us before agreeing to the repairs. I pay nearly £900 each month in rent.
"This will have a huge impact on us. A lot of my trade is people that drive up and carry a lot of heavy items out to their car. How can they expect to get their items if the road is closed?"
Rajesh Sethi, manager of the Ransons discount store, added: "This is absolutely going to have a great impact on the shops in this area.
"Many of the people who come into the shop are just passing through. If the road is closed, who will come down this part of the road? There will be nobody here. I am very concerned."
The closure, which will be in place until October 10, is one of four in the town centre to run consecutively while National Grid digs up the road to replace a gas main.
Work is being done to replace a metal gas main with a harder-wearing plastic pipe.
The first closure will be of Graingers Lane between High Street and Station Street for seven days from July 20, during which National Express bus services 53 and 243 will be diverted.
This will be followed by the closure of Cradley Road between Graingers Lane and Station Street between July 28 and August 8.
A third closure on St Anne's Road between High Street and Foxoak Street will be for nine days from August 9 before the lengthier closure in High Street, during which time drivers will be diverted via St Anne's Road, Foxoak Street and Newtown Lane.
Stephen Murray, National Grid's head of network in the West Midlands, said: "We advise motorists and shoppers to bear with us while we carry out this essential work."
